Jammu: Top militant commander Mehrajuddin Dand, a key conspirator of 1999 hijacking of IC-814 and 1996 Lajpat Nagar blasts in Delhi, has admitted before intelligence agencies that then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other top leaders were on ISI target during 2002 South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit in Nepal.

According to the intelligence sources, Mehrajuddin was associated with Ayub alias Arshad Cheema, who was serving as visa officer in Pak embassy in Kathmandu, but Cheema was later arrested in Nepal in 2001 with heavy quantity of RDX explosives. After this, Arshad Cheema was expelled from Nepal which caused major blow to Mehrajuddin’s plan to attack Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other leaders during 2002 SAARC Summit in Nepal.

Mehrajuddin’s name had figured in the list of 20 most wanted persons which India had handed over to Pakistan.

Mehrajuddin was arrested on Thursday by Kishtwar police on Jammu and Kashmir National highway when he was going to Srinagar from Nepal. The intelligence agencies including NIA, CBI, Military Intelligence and Jammu and Kashmir police are grilling Mehrajuddin for the last four days.

The Delhi police on Monday has also interrogated him for his alleged involvement in 1996 Lajpat Nagar blasts in Delhi. Dilbagh Singh, IG of Jammu division, said, “We are interrogating Mehrajuddin and we are hopeful to get some important clues in several cases.”